Pahala

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Towns & Places

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Between Naalehu and Volcanoes National Park, a distance of about 38 miles, there exists only one sizable community, the picturesque village of Pahala. In Hawaiian, Pāhala refers to the ashes of leaves from the hala tree.

Pahala was once the home of many sugar cane workers, however, the sugar cane industry collapsed some years ago. The 2000 census reported a population of 1,466 and 487 housing units in Pahala. Population in July 2007: 1,599. Males: 799. Females: 800. Pahala's main industries include macadamia nut orchards, coffee farming, horticulture, family-owned farms and ranching. Kaʻu Coffee has gained a reputaion that makes it competitive with Kona coffee, winning recent international coffee tasting competitions.

Pahala does have electricity and telephone service, as well as cable television and high speed broadbrand. It also has county water to most residences which is one of the few towns in Ka'u that can boast about having water.

There is a hospital with 24 hour emergency room, fire station, bank, post office, video store, restaurant and three small markets. 2008 cost of living index in Pahala: 86.1 (less than average, U.S. average is 100). By the late '70's with sugar's looming demise C Brewer decided to expand its Macadamia Nut operations. They began to phase out sugar fields that encircled Pahala and convert them into Mac Nut fields. Many who lived and worked in Pahala moved on to other jobs around the island. Some took jobs in the hotel industry. Some commute up to 5 hours a day to and from jobs at resorts along the Kohala coast. Some moved to Maui and Kaua'i and worked at sugar plantations there. Others moved to the mainland to try a fresh start. Many old timers that have generations of family ties to Pahala had passed on. Many in the younger generation have chosen not to return. Some have sold out to mainlanders who have retired in this quaint old rural setting.

Street lights are specially designed to prevent "light pollution" which could adversely affect the astronomical observatories on Mauna Kea. Two or more races (32.5%), Filipino (32.2%), Japanese (11.3%), Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander (10.4%), White Non-Hispanic (8.6%), Hispanic (6.3%), Other Asian (3.3%), American Indian (0.9%), Chinese (0.7%), Other race (0.5%)

In Hawaiian, Pāhala refers to the ashes of leaves from the hala tree. Long ago, when cracks were found in the sugar fields workers would stuff them with hala leaves and burn them. Pahala's main industries include macadamia nut orchards, coffee farming, horticulture, family-owned farms and ranching. Kaʻu Coffee has gained a reputaion that makes it competitive with Kona coffee, winning recent international coffee tasting competitions.

Ka'u farmers and Pahala residents have in 2009 been plagued by the ill-effects of sulfur-dioxide laden "vog", due to the area's proximity to the very active volcanoes at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Pahala's main industries include macadamia nut orchards, coffee farming, horticulture, family-owned farms and ranching. Kaʻu Coffee has gained a reputaion that makes it competitive with Kona coffee, winning recent international coffee tasting competitions.

Ka'u farmers and Pahala residents have recently been plagued by the ill-effects of sulfur-dioxide laden "vog", due to the area's proximity to the very active volcanoes at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. For More info on Pahala use WikiPedia by clicking here.